Great article! - definitely worth reading...
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The Evolution of a Star-bury
Mike Melnitzky
Two years ago I joined Knick fans everywhere in celebrating Isiah Thomas’s first major move. Brooklyn’s own Stephon Marbury was back in New York, and back in the same arena that he once led his high school team to the city championship in. In his first few years in the league Marbury was regarded as a borderline All-Star, however, to New Yorkers Marbury had been a legend since his Coney Island days. I distinctly remember his first game in Madison Square Garden against the Houston Rockets. With the pregame atmosphere electric, Stephon took the court to cheers last reserved for warriors such as Charles Oakley, John Starks, and Patrick Ewing. The end result of that game was a humiliating blowout loss, and after almost two seasons without significant improvement, many people believe Stephon has worn out his homecoming.
Marbury came to New York after stops in Minnesota, New Jersey, and Phoenix, each campaign creating another knock against the undeniably talented point guard. We’ve all heard the gripes with Stephon; “He’s too selfish,” “He doesn’t make his teammates better,” and of course, “He’s not a winner.” I couldn’t disagree more.
The Knicks’ horrendous start to the season had half of New York calling for Marbury’s cab out of town, but their recent six-game win streak, and the three game losing streak following Marbury’s injury has many New Yorkers rethinking their position. No one can deny how hard Marbury plays. No one can deny his talent. No one can deny his toughness as evident through the two hundred and eighty game iron-man streak that was snapped against the Chicago Bulls this past week. Now, fans cannot deny that Marbury does in fact make his teammates better.
The Knicks have looked lost without Marbury controlling the ball. Not only was his penetration relied on for easy scores and ensuing free throws, but he was able to get the ball to other scorers like Channing Frye and Eddy Curry in positions that make them the most dangerous.
With Marbury coming back from his injury sometime this week, the Knicks will look to regain the form that had all of New York buzzing. No one expects much from this season, perhaps at best a first-round playoff exit, so it is important that fans think about the future. Players like Frye, Curry, Nate Robinson, and David Lee could one day make the Knicks relevant again; however, Knicks’ fans should understand that with Marbury in that mix, New York boasts an elite NBA talent as their primary ball handler. Instead of the media and the fans hounding Marbury when he does something wrong, he should be allowed to make mistakes as part of the maturation process of these promising young stars. Maybe then he will be able to show the league that he’s the player all of New York once thought he could be.